Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Payback... how it hurts when one is on the receiving end for once...
First of all, let me state that I deplore racism of any kind, and any attempt to cheapen anyone's death, much less the death of millions of people, is disgusting.
However...
If the Western nations ARE to promote a free press, as they keep stressing when they refuse to censor those cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed, then surely they have no business questioning the publication of THESE cartoons now, regardless of the intent of the people publishing it. You can't spend years calling for a "free" press in Iran and then turn around and say they can't exercise their free expression as long as they insult you. I personally think it's hypocritical.
I don't support what they are doing, but from a PR perspective, I think it's brilliant. I don't think many people in the West really understand just how offended the Muslim people felt by the Danish cartoons... and I sincerely doubt that the "Anti-Defamation League" was the first one to call for the censure of THOSE cartoons. Why then do they have the moxie to come and call for the censure of the Iranian cartoons? If you claim to support the end of racism and hatred, why not be consistent?
These Iranian cartoons really drive the point home, I think, so on that level you've got to admire the thinkers who came up with this one. It's so shocking a PR retaliation that it is bound to get global attention... and force people to test the boundaries of what they believe is "free speech," and that can't be anything but good.
Tit for tat, as they say. And isn't payback a real %&*@!?
* * * * *
Iran daily holds contest for Holocaust cartoons
Tue Feb 7, 2006 10:31 AM ET
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's best-selling newspaper has launched a competition to find the best cartoon about the Holocaust in retaliation for the publication in many European countries of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.
The Brussels-based Conference of European Rabbis (CER) denounced the idea and urged the Muslim world to do likewise.
The Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-semitism, described the competition as "deliberately inflammatory".
The Iranian daily Hamshahri said the contest was designed to test the boundaries of free speech -- the reason given by many European newspapers for publishing the cartoons of the Prophet.
"Does Western free speech allow working on issues like America and Israel's crimes or an incident like the Holocaust or is this freedom of speech only good for insulting the holy values of divine religions?" the paper asked.
Davoud Kazemi, who is in charge of the contest, told Reuters that each of the 12 winners would have their cartoons published and receive two gold coins (worth about $140 each) as a prize.
In Paris, CER President Joseph Sitruk, who is also Chief Rabbi of France, said: "The Iranian regime has plummeted to new depths if it regards the deaths of six million Jews as a matter for humor or to score cheap political points.
"Sadly, we are not surprised by this action," he said, recalling Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calls last year for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and his dismissal of the Holocaust as a myth.
Taken from Reuters.com
for full article, click: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=uri:2006-02-07T152958Z_01_L07723729_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-CARTOONS-IRAN-HOLOCAUST.xml&pageNumber=0&summit=
However...
If the Western nations ARE to promote a free press, as they keep stressing when they refuse to censor those cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed, then surely they have no business questioning the publication of THESE cartoons now, regardless of the intent of the people publishing it. You can't spend years calling for a "free" press in Iran and then turn around and say they can't exercise their free expression as long as they insult you. I personally think it's hypocritical.
I don't support what they are doing, but from a PR perspective, I think it's brilliant. I don't think many people in the West really understand just how offended the Muslim people felt by the Danish cartoons... and I sincerely doubt that the "Anti-Defamation League" was the first one to call for the censure of THOSE cartoons. Why then do they have the moxie to come and call for the censure of the Iranian cartoons? If you claim to support the end of racism and hatred, why not be consistent?
These Iranian cartoons really drive the point home, I think, so on that level you've got to admire the thinkers who came up with this one. It's so shocking a PR retaliation that it is bound to get global attention... and force people to test the boundaries of what they believe is "free speech," and that can't be anything but good.
Tit for tat, as they say. And isn't payback a real %&*@!?
* * * * *
Iran daily holds contest for Holocaust cartoons
Tue Feb 7, 2006 10:31 AM ET
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's best-selling newspaper has launched a competition to find the best cartoon about the Holocaust in retaliation for the publication in many European countries of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.
The Brussels-based Conference of European Rabbis (CER) denounced the idea and urged the Muslim world to do likewise.
The Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-semitism, described the competition as "deliberately inflammatory".
The Iranian daily Hamshahri said the contest was designed to test the boundaries of free speech -- the reason given by many European newspapers for publishing the cartoons of the Prophet.
"Does Western free speech allow working on issues like America and Israel's crimes or an incident like the Holocaust or is this freedom of speech only good for insulting the holy values of divine religions?" the paper asked.
Davoud Kazemi, who is in charge of the contest, told Reuters that each of the 12 winners would have their cartoons published and receive two gold coins (worth about $140 each) as a prize.
In Paris, CER President Joseph Sitruk, who is also Chief Rabbi of France, said: "The Iranian regime has plummeted to new depths if it regards the deaths of six million Jews as a matter for humor or to score cheap political points.
"Sadly, we are not surprised by this action," he said, recalling Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calls last year for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and his dismissal of the Holocaust as a myth.
Taken from Reuters.com
for full article, click: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=uri:2006-02-07T152958Z_01_L07723729_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-CARTOONS-IRAN-HOLOCAUST.xml&pageNumber=0&summit=
